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Restoring Pollinator Habitat on Rights-of-Way

Workshop Summary Report—Highlights and What We Heard

Introduction

On February 20, 2020, Canadian Wildlife Federation and Toronto Region Conservation Authority

hosted a workshop for Rights-of-Way Managers, native seed suppliers, and environmental non-profit

groups.

Seventy-seven people gathered at Black Creek Pioneer Village for a full day workshop on restoring

pollinator habitat on Rights-of-Way in Ontario. An additional twelve people joined the workshop via

webinar, for a total of eighty-nine participants. The workshop agenda is included in APPENDIX I.

Workshop planning committee members include Carolyn Callaghan (CWF), Holly Bickerton, Katie

Turnbull (TRCA), Jennifer Line (CWF), Elizabeth Muckle-Jeffs (Professional Edge), James Page (CWF),

and Fallon Hayes (CWF/Canadian Conservation Corps). We are grateful to Environment and Climate

Change Canada (Habitat Stewardship Program) and the Government of Ontario (Species at Risk

Stewardship Program) for the financial support. The views expressed in the publication are the views of

the Recipient and do not necessarily reflect those of the Province.

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Speakers: Keynote: Iris Caldwell, Rights-of-Way Habitat Working Group, Energy Resources Center, University of Chicago Kathleen Law, Pollinator Partnership Canada Corey Wells, Katie Turnbull and Colin Love, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Holly Bickerton Carolyn Callaghan, Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) Michelle Vala, Lanark County Jake Lozon, Ontario Nativescape Stefan Weber, Ontario Plant Restoration Alliance, McMaster University Mary Gartshore, Pterophylla Native Plants Karen Horsman, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Nigel Finney, Conservation Halton Ashley Fox, Ontario Power Generation Leonardo Cabrera, Rouge National Urban Park

Workshop Summary

This workshop aimed to connect Ontario stakeholders interested in managing Rights-of-way to restore

and enhance native meadow habitat for pollinators. A contact list of like-minded people and groups

was created for future networking.

Our keynote speaker, Iris Caldwell from the U.S.-based Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group spoke

to us about the great strides made over the past five years, connecting over 200 organizations and

developing resource tools for Rights-of-Way managers.

Kathleen Law, of Pollinator Partnerships Canada presented on the significant decline of pollinators and

the impacts of their decline for the environment and our economy as well as the benefits of restoring

meadow habitat.

The Toronto Region Conservation Authority team, Corey Wells, Katie Turnbull and Colin Love

presented the ambitious The Meadoway project. A 16 km hydro corridor through the heart of Toronto

offers a template for large-scale and ambitious multi-jurisdictional projects.

Holly Bickerton and CWF’s Carolyn Callaghan spoke about partnerships built with eastern Ontario land

managers and test plots established to kick-start large-scale meadow restoration in the region.

Winners of the 2019 Pollinator Roadside Management Award from the North American Pollinator

Protection Campaign (NAPPC), Lanark County’s Michelle Vala described how they transitioned their

vegetation management plan to include pollinator habitat- reducing mowing and spraying while

managing for an invasive species. Costs and cost savings were also shared.

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Recent restoration efforts in Halton Region (Nigel Finney), on Ontario Power Generation lands (Ashely

Fox) and in the new Rouge Urban National Park (Leonardo Cabrera) were also presented.

Seasoned vegetation restoration specialists Mary Gardshore and Jake Lozon spoke of lessons learned

from years of successful meadow restoration projects in southern Ontario. Obtaining and amplifying

seed, designing site-specific seed mixes and successional changes you can expect were all described.

Stefan Weber of McMaster University and Ontario Plant Restoration Alliance presented research

examining optimal methods for restoration.

Communications and public outreach are key to the success of restoration projects and Colin Love and Karen Horsman of TRCA’s The Meadoway described their multi-pronged approach for communicating and engaging community members to become stewards of these lands.

Breakout Discussion Results

Discussion Questions:

What are three items/conditions necessary to achieve pollinator habitat restoration at large

scale?

Individuals were tasked with reflection, followed by table discussion to summarize top three items and

report to group.Ten groups participated in the discussion. Table 1 summarizes the items determined to

be essential to achieve large-scale restoration.

Table 1. List of Items Necessary to Achieve Large-scale Pollinator Habitat Restoration:

Item Number of Groups Listed as Important

Funding/Support from all levels of government 6

Public Awareness/Tailored Messaging 5

Partnerships/Collaboration/Multi-disciplinary teams 5

Native seed supply (including procurement and forecasting needs)

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Technical Expertise/best practices guidance 3

Policy/Legislation Change/Regulatory Assurance 2

Public Engagement 1

Business Cases/Case for Support 1

Landowner relationship/acceptance 1

Stakeholder education/staff training 1

Ex situ Conservation planting (to address native seed diversity)

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Additional items not included in group priorities but stated by individuals include:

• Pollinator habitat restoration embedded in federal, provincial and municipal strategies and

climate change mitigation and adaptation policy.

• Tool sharing and standardization

• Collaboration with landowners, managers, and contractors working as one from the beginning

of projects

• Engagement of children in restoration

• Incorporate pollinator habitat restoration into long-term land use planning

• Political leadership

• Building a community of practice

• Funding for procurement of native seeds

• Commitment to Monitoring Pollinators

• Standardized per and post surveys to evaluate success

• Open access to research results and sharing of lessons

What is important for successful partnership building for pollinator habitat restoration?

The following items were brought up and discussed within the collective group of participants:

• Environmental ENGOs approach municipalities to bring awareness and build a business case for

restoration

• Environmental ENGOs get involved in reimagining the public aesthetic of neat, mown lawn on

ROW to a more natural look

• Establish global, cross-border partnerships

• Develop a sensibility that this is all-political/non-partisan issue of public interest

• Social license is a significant factor in providing incentive for ROW managers to restore habitat

• There is a need to upscale our education system to include habitat restoration in curriculum

• Building school/youth partnerships is important

• Master gardeners and gardening clubs are an obvious partner

• Include landscape industry

• Transport/Public Works Departments operations staff are important partners. Go to their

conferences

• Encourage site tours to improve knowledge, provide inspiration and create a shared experience

• Consider the upcoming R3 conference as an opportunity to keep the conversation going

• Make a concerted effort to connect with potential partners.

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Key Messages/Lessons Learned

At the end of the workshop, 33 participants provided completed surveys; participant comments highlighted some take-home messages from this productive day.

1. Pollinators are important for the health of the environment and our economy;

2. ROW restoration can increase biodiversity;

3. Many organizations are already successfully restoring pollinator-friendly meadow habitat and there are opportunities for partnerships;

4. Restoration of ROW is beneficial on any scale, be it pollinator patches (gardens) or kilometres of roadsides or hydro corridors; it’s okay to start small;

5. Changes to vegetation management protocols can reduce costs and enhance biodiversity at the same time;

6. The diversity of visual results of restoration was striking; meadows differ from site to site;

7. When beginning a project, site preparation and native seed selection is important;

8. It is essential to obtain community support; community engagement is an integral part of the restoration process;

9. Storytelling about pollinators as well as public workshops and programs build stewardship;

10. Case studies are useful for making the business case to upper management in organizations.

Based on survey results the workshop was positively received (4.4 out of 5) with respect to: providing

useful information, increasing awareness of restoration methods, and increasing the likelihood of

initiating or continuing restoration projects. If there could have been any improvements on the format

of the day, participants felt they could have used more time to network with one another.

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Next Steps

Based on the 33 completed surveys we received, here are the top “additional support needs”, ordered from greatest to least number of responses:

1. Financial support

2. Establishing collaborative partnerships with other land managers/owners in my area

3. Technical guidance on native meadow restoration methods

4. Public support or acceptance

5. Technical guidance on native plants species

6. Senior management or political support

7. Communications support

8. Business care support/business case studies

9. Invasive species management technical support

10. Availability of specialized equipment

11. Management support during systems change and early implementation

Most respondents want to continue to receive information on ROW restoration and are interested in participating in working groups and future meetings. The enthusiasm and energy in the room was palpable. The Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group has five years of collaboration, protocol and tool

development to share with interested parties in Canada. We would like to see the development of a

Canadian chapter of this group to carry this work forward for greater habitat restoration success.

Acknowledgements

The organizing committee wishes to thank all the speakers for their contributions and time. The caliber

of expertise was exceptional. Thanks to Elizabeth Muckle-Jeffs of The Professional Edge for event

planning expertise and attending to many details. Venue staff at Black Creek Pioneer Village were very

accommodating with preparations and last-minute changes; Peter and Paul caterers provided excellent

food. S4 Audio & Visual provided additional IT technical assistance. Thank you to workshop

participants for your interest and for bringing energy into the discussion.

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Appendix I: Agenda

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Appendix II. List of Organizations in Attendance

Bee City Canada Central Lake Ontario CA City of Brampton City of Burlington City of Hamilton City of Kitchener City of London City of Mississauga City of Ottawa City of Vaughan Conservation Halton Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark Credit Valley Conservation Emerging Leaders for Biodiversity Environment and Climate Change Canada Fiona Rintoul & Associates, Landscape Architects Grand River CA Grasslands Ontario Hamilton Naturalists' Club Hydro One Lake Simcoe Region CA Lanark County Maitland Valley CA MASS LBP Nature Conservancy of Canada Neighbours Sharing Native and Pollinator Plants Northland Power Ontario Biodiversity Council Ontario Land Trust Alliance Ontario NativeScape Ontario Plant Restoration Alliance Ontario Power Generation Parks Canada Pollinator Partnership Canada Royal Botanical Gardens Rideau Valley CA St Clair Region CA St. Williams Nursery and Ecology Centre TCDSB Toronto and Region CA Town of Georgina Town of Newmarket Town of Oakville University of Illinois at Chicago

Wildlife Preservation Canada WSP Canada

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Appendix III: Photos

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